Coral Duero enVena Tinta de Toro 2022 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a delicious Tinta de Toro (aka Tempranillo) from Spain that is a brand new arrival that landed at the LCBO in the recent February 15 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.

It is produced by Bodegas Coral Duero, a winery that was founded in 2003 by Jesús Fernández, a native of Toro who spent most of his life working in the marine sector. Jesús is a wine lover at heart and harboured a dream to one day return to his home in Toro and produce the best wines in this historic wine region.

Winemaking in the Toro region, in northwestern Spain, dates back to before Roman settlements, while in the Middle Ages the wines from this region were highly regarded and enjoyed royal privileges. Toro wines were also the first to be shipped to America with Columbus. During the 19th century, large quantities were exported to France to replenish stocks that had been devastated by the phylloxera plague. In the 1970s, the first steps were taken to create what was to later become the Toro Designation of Origin, which was formally established in 1987.

To fulfill his dream, Jesús purchased over 30 hectares of the oldest and most resilient vines in El Pego, a small village that was known to have the best terroir in the region. Coral Duero produced its first wine from their first harvest in 2005 with the assistance of a team of experts and the rare and exceptional variety - Tinta de Toro - and gained its first international recognition in 2008.

After retiring in 2019, Jesús' dream lives on as a group of forward-thinking, young wine enthusiasts continue his legacy and bring a breath of fresh air to the traditions of the Toro terroir to create eloquent and elegant expressions of Tinta de Toro. Today, led by a core group of members, Coral Duero is committed to honouring the traditions of Toro's historic terroir and respecting the nature which nourishes its resilient soil. The name 'Coral' is a reference to Jesús' seafaring background and the extraordinary resilience of coral reefs, which also allude to the vitality of their vines that have survived for more than 140 years, resisting even the Phylloxera plague. The 'Duero' part of the name is in reference to the Duero river which bisects the Toro Region, while also replenishing and giving life to the vines.

At Coral Duero, respect for nature and tradition are core values. With centuries-old vines, sustainable winemaking methods, hand-harvested grapes, and a strict selection process, Coral Duero is able to allow their wines to preserve the character, personality, and tradition of Toro. They have approximately 32 hectares of vineyards which are divided into 4 subplots: Rompesedas, El Salgadero, Los Lastros, and Las Parvas. Balance, order, rhythm, and harmony in the vineyard are of paramount importance at Coral Duero as they have some of Spain's oldest vines, some more than 140 years old. In order to achieve these goals in the vineyard, the team at Coral Duero studies the soil, prunes the vines, practices sustainable agriculture, and handpicks the harvest, while also adjusting to the extreme continental climate of each vintage.

In the pursuit of crafting authentic and outstanding wines in honour of Toro's historic terroir, the enVena (or in vein) is crafted Coral Duero's youngest wine in the collection, with most of the grapes from their younger vines nestled in the Rompesedas plot, within the municipality of El Pego, in the province of Zamora. This red wine is crafted using 100% Tinta de Toro, a grape known outside the region of Toro as Tempranillo. The 40-50 year old vines are west-facing and situated close to the Guareña river. The vines are rooted in a sandy loam alluvial soil, with gravel and small pebbles underneath, which allows for proper drainage and imparts minerality into the wine. Furthermore, this type of soil structure lowers pH levels, and helps produce wines of extraordinary quality, balance, and elegance.

To craft this wine, the grapes were manually harvested by selecting only the best bunches, followed by further selecting only the top-quality grapes from these bunches, and immediately placing the fruit in a cold chamber to preserve their fruity intensity. Vinification begins with a cold maceration in stainless steel tanks, followed by fermentation. It was aged for 6 months in French and American oak barrels.

The growing season in El Pego usually features short, hot, dry, and mostly clear summers, while winters are extremely cold and windy. Throughout the year, there are many hours of sunshine, which is essential for the cultivation of the Tinta de Toro grape varietal, while temperatures rarely dip below 5°C or go above 35°C. In 2022, the vintage delivered generous amounts of grapes, but the berries were smaller than usual. Summer featured intense heat, while favourable weather appeared during the final stages of ripening, including some rain in early September and lower temperatures with high diurnal range. While acidity levels were a bit lower, the young wines showed good freshness. Let's see how this 2022 Tinta de Toro from Spain is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

CORAL DUERO ENVENA TINTA DE TORO 2022 - DO Toro, Spain (#40867) (XD) - $16.95
This 100% Tinta de Toro (aka Tempranillo) has a fragrant, medium+ to medium-high intensity nose that offers a pleasing, spicy mix of ripe red & black cherries, plum, and savoury earth aromas. It's medium-full bodied and dry with delicious ripe, plummy, red and black cherry, and spice replays on the flavour profile, plus some dried herbs notes. It's supported by fresh and crisp acidity, alongside well-structured, slightly firm tannins. There's some palate warmth, but still within balance, along with some florality on the back palate. Cherries, spices, and plum notes taper to minerals on the long, textured, youthful, and slightly firm finish. Recommended buy! Score: 89 pts

Other delicious wines by Coral Duero can be ordered through their Agent - Buyers+Cellars.